


Fallin' All In You

by Crazyloststar



Category: Tales of Zestiria
Genre: Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, M/M, Strangers to Lovers
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-12-15
Updated: 2018-12-15
Packaged: 2019-09-18 15:21:39
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,996
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16997520
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Crazyloststar/pseuds/Crazyloststar
Summary: Sorey chewed on his straw, mourning that it was only water in his glass. He was regretting everything; agreeing to Mikleo’s idea, going so far as to practice dating, then getting coordinated suits, ok just. Mikleo in a suit. Period.





	Fallin' All In You

**Author's Note:**

> My prompt for the calendar was the holiday movie "The Mistletoe Promise" 
> 
> Summary:
> 
> Two people with a disdain for Christmas make a holiday pact to pretend to be a couple to ease their holiday complications. As they spend more time together, they experience the true magic of Christmas and fall in love.
> 
> \o\

Sorey draped himself dramatically across the cold table, whining as loudly as he could without making a scene in the food court.

“Mikleoooo.”

Mikleo lifted his eyes from his phone, finger hovering over the screen and a french fry pinched between the fingers of his other hand.

Sorey’s second whine died in his throat as their eyes met. But when Mikleo started to look back down to his phone, he fought back the now almost regular urge to just stay quiet, and instead spoke. “The party is tomorrow night.”

Mikleo’s eyes stayed on him for a beat before dropping down to the phone. He had a site open, Sorey couldn’t tell which, and popped the fry into his mouth after muttering. “It is.”

Sorey never wanted to be a fried vegetable more in his life than in that moment. He stretched out his arms more, fingers tapping close to the edge on either side of Mikleo’s plate, as his thoughts raced faster than lightning.

This was supposed to be easy. They went on fake dates, spent so much time together, all to prepare for their Real Fake Date: the company holiday party.

Sorey shifted in his seat, but kept his hands near Mikleo’s plate, wiggling his fingers.

“Yes, Sorey?” Mikleo picked up another fry, but didn’t look away from his phone.

Sorey reluctantly pulled away and sat back against the booth and took a sip of water to distract himself. He looked out towards the mall as he chewed on his straw. Out there was everything he didn’t want to face - the cheery holiday music, the soft lights that gave everything a touch of romance, the pictures of happy couples everywhere….

But turning back towards Mikleo, he had to face something different.

_Emotions._

“You did the thing again,” Mikleo spoke. Sorey bit down on the straw to keep from yelping as he was pulled out of his thoughts.

“The thing?” he cleared his throat and set down his water.

“When you’re thinking too hard. You completely zoned out instead of answering me.” Mikleo ate his last fry, and slid the plate to the side. He flipped his phone over so the screen was hidden and also leaned back, arms crossed over his chest.

“What’s wrong?”

Sorey was sweating. He couldn’t tell Mikleo what was actually wrong, of course. But the reality was Mikleo had gotten way too good at reading him over the last couple of weeks. And within those weeks, Sorey had come to several startling revelations.

Mainly one. Just one _big_ one.

“Just nervous about tomorrow,” Sorey shrugged as casually as he could before looking away from Mikleo’s stern gaze. “What if people see right through us?”

He peeked at Mikleo out of the corner of his eye. Mikleo had shifted forward, elbows on the table.

“We’ve been over this, Sorey. It’s fine. We just say mostly truths. Makes it easier.”

“Right.” Sorey sighed and followed his finger as he dragged it through the condensation from his glass. He spoke low, still not looking back at Mikleo. “Then we don’t have to worry about this anymore.”

Mikleo didn’t respond. Not until Sorey finally raised his eyes to meet Mikleo’s and purple eyes widened.

“Ya, I guess we won’t have to.”

 

* * *

 

“You’re certainly fussing a lot.”

Mikleo spun around to see Edna lounging on his bed, studying him. He tried to keep his composure as he turned back to the mirror to finish adjusting his tie. She always made a habit of hanging out in his room, despite having a perfectly good bedroom of her own.

“Just want to make a good impression at this work event,” he replied as calmly as he could, “and it’s the holidays, right? Everyone wants to look nice.”

“Ya sure, but you hate this time of year.” He could see her in the reflection sitting up.

“Hate is a strong word,”

“This time last year you had holed yourself up in your room and sworn off holidays forever.”

Mikleo rolled his eyes and turned back around. “Listen, you know I had just gotten dumped.”

Edna looked him up and down and crossed her arms. “I was here. I remember. But what I mean is you had sworn off doing anything around this time of year and you stuck to it. But now?”

Mikleo swallowed but turned back to the mirror and feigned looking himself over. He had gone all out for this - white suit with a dark blue vest and tie, something he and Sorey had picked out.

He hadn’t told Edna about the arrangement, because he figured it would complicate things. And besides, if anyone would be able to see through him, it would be her. She was the one person he could never lie to.

And if he told her the truth?

Told her this whole thing was just to help him at work, to make people like him more because they saw he could in fact _be_ with someone and be happy? It didn't matter in the end, anyways. After tonight their arrangement would be over. 

Thinking about it made Mikleo’s stomach tighten, because the more and more he thought about the plan, the more he realized how bad an idea it was. For many reasons.

“Earth to Meeeboooo.” A finger poked his side and he yelped, backing away and swatting her hand away. But she was stubborn, as much as he was, and she followed him, pushing him up against the wall and staring hard.

He fidgeted under her stare, but held his ground. Then her eyes widened.

“You’re hiding something.”

He opened his mouth to speak but she clapped a hand over it.

“I don’t know what yet, but I’ll figure it out. And when I do-” she poked him in the chest, “I’m going to kick your butt for not telling me.”

Mikleo stuttered as she pulled away. He adjusted his coat, his mind racing. “Edna, it’s just -”

She lifted a hand as a way to shush him. He sighed. She always did like this game, of guessing what was going on with him, and always accurately. But Mikleo wouldn’t give in easily. He cleared his throat and looked at his phone, to a text from Sorey that he was out front.

“Well then, I should get going.” Shoving his phone in his pocket, he gave a wave over his head as he left his room. Edna shouted something but he dashed out quick to avoid further confrontation.

At the doorstep, Mikleo barely managed to shut the door before almost tripping over his own feet.

He had picked out the suit with Sorey. He knew what he would be wearing. It wasn’t a surprise.

And yet Mikleo was taken aback still at the sight of Sorey actually _in_ the suit. It complemented his own, dark where Mikleo’s was light, and somehow was tailored perfectly for Sorey’s broad shoulders and tapered waist.

It was absolutely.

Unfair.

“Mikleo!” Sorey waved from next to his car. “Come on, we’re gonna be late!”

Mikleo swallowed and stepped down and forced himself to walk towards Sorey.

It was going to be a long night.

 

* * *

 

Halfway through the night, Sorey had determined that there was not nearly enough free alcohol at this party. Did people really think two- _two!_ tickets would suffice?

He chewed on his straw, mourning that it was only water in his glass. He was regretting everything; agreeing to Mikleo’s idea, going so far as to practice dating, then getting coordinated suits, ok just. Mikleo in a suit. Period.

Sorey chewed on his straw harder. Mikleo waited in line at the bar while he hung out at a nearby cocktail table, and it was frustrating, watching him and how good he looked.

He thought back to when he and Mikleo first came up with this idea as a way to show Mikleo’s co-workers that he wasn’t cold and quiet. Sorey knew Mikleo wasn’t - well, he had also thought he was at first. But their time together he had learned a lot about Mikleo, and that was the thing, see.

He really liked Mikleo, liked all the weird quirks. Liked that he was kind of quiet until he was pulled out of his head, like stepping out of a big puffy jacket.

Sorey imagined Mikleo bundled up in a coat like that, with a scarf, nuzzling up to him as it snowed around them--

_Stop._

He bit his straw harder.

“Sorey?” Mikleo’s voice startled him. He stood upright and barely managed to not knock over his glass.

“H-hey, what’d you manage?”

“Here.” Mikleo slid a cup of dark red over to him. “Red wine okay?”

“Mikleo!” Sorey cupped the precious drink in his hands. “I thought we were out of drink tickets?”

“I know the events team, so I called in a favor.” Mikleo sipped his white wine and looked around the room, before leaning against Sorey’s arm. “This is a little scary, isn’t it.”

Sorey took a large sip of his wine. “Hmm. It’s going okay so far though, right?”

“Seems to be.” Mikleo tapped his fingers along the cup. “You did well with Eizen, he’s the one I was most worried about.”

Sorey laughed and wrapped an arm around Mikleo’s shoulders. He sensed Mikleo tense up, and thought he should pull away, but they had to be a couple, right? If he pulled away, it would look weird….

He leaned close to Mikleo’s. “Is this okay?”

Mikleo shifted, but not away. Instead he nestled himself closer against Sorey and nodded. They stayed like that while sipping their wine, watching the crowd of people. All the introductions had happened early on in the evening, and now everyone had settled into their small cliques of coworkers. Sorey noted curiously that Mikleo had made no attempt to go mingle with anyone else.

He bemoaned he was once again out of wine and set the cup down. He tightened his grip on Mikleo a little more.

“Hey, Mikleo, did you want to make the rounds at all? See anyone else?”

Mikleo drained the last of his own wine as well and shook his head. “No.”

Sorey nodded, and picked at the tablecloth.

“Can we leave?” Mikleo spoke softly.

Sorey looked down to see Mikleo was preoccupied with the trim of his suit. He gave Mikleo’s shoulder a reassuring squeeze. “It’s your party, not mine. We can go whenever you want.”

Mikleo nodded and stepped out from under Sorey’s arm, but as their hands met,he intertwined their fingers. Sorey tried to stop his heart from skipping as he followed Mikleo, winding around the chairs and people towards the doors.

He had known from the start Mikleo was nervous about the company holiday party, and adding this wild plan with someone who up until a month ago was a stranger just fueled that more. Sorey quietly followed until they got their coats out from coat check, and made their way out to the parking lot of the venue.

Once outside and bundled up, they stood side by side, their breath coming out in small bursts in the cold air. Sorey kept a small distance between them, though all he wanted really was to wrap his arms around Mikleo and hold him close.

“Car should be here soon,” Mikleo whispered, “do you want me to call one for you?”

Sorey cleared his throat. “How about we uh, go grab a bite to eat? Get some fries and shake and just wind down.”

Mikleo’s eyes flashed up at him. Sorey let his fingers curl up to brush Mikleo’s, and in response Mikleo clung tight to him. Sorey knew he was blushing, as heat rushed up his neck and cheeks. But as Mikleo looked up at him, he could see a hint of blush across Mikleo’s skin as well, and he couldn’t stop himself from squeezing Mikleo’s hand.

“Ya,” Mikleo said with a soft smile as he squeezed back. “That sounds perfect, Sorey.”

**Author's Note:**

> kdjhgkjdhfg sorry for 2k of these boys just thirsting for each other and then fading to black 
> 
> after this they totally eat way too many fries and probably have their first kiss at 3am in a diner parking lot and it's perfect.


End file.
